65 Years Ago Today, This Legendary Girl Group Released Their First Single
On March 9, 1961, legendary Motown girl group The Supremes released their first single, "I Want a Guy."
Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard originally performed as The Primettes before being signed to Motown, where they became one of the most successful girl groups of all time. But if you've never heard of "I Want a Guy," that's because it wasn't very popular. In fact, none of The Supremes' first few singles was very popular. It took two years until they even cracked the Top 40, with "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes" in 1963, according to Britannica. In 1964, The Supremes — with their songwriting trio Holland-Dozier-Holland — got their first No. 1 hit, "Where Did Our Love Go."
This began a string of five back-to-back No. 1 hits:
- "Baby Love," which also earned them their first Grammy nomination
- "Stop! In the Name of Love"
- "Come See About Me"
- "Back In My Arms Again"
All in all, The Supremes racked up 12 No. 1 hits over the course of their career. They're the group with the second-most Billboard No. 1 hits in history — behind only The Beatles. Including solo artists, they're tied for seventh with Madonna.
The Supremes Were Trailblazers For Black Artists
The Supremes broke racial barriers in the music world, soaring to success in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement. In fact, Motown founder Berry Gordy specifically formulated the group to appeal to both Black and white audiences.
"I think it was the sound itself of the music that sold it to people across racial lines, across gender lines, across age and economic status," Motown historian Tom Ingrassia told AZ Central. "They really presented a total package. And that is what made them different from all the other girl groups. Certainly, they had the talent. But they also had the glamor and the glitter that took us all back to that Hollywood image."